On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Colt travels to the Commonwealth State of Kentucky to talk about alternative and direct marketing strategies we use here in Maine with beef producers in Kentucky. While there, he catches up with good friend and repeat podcast guest, Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler and attends the Heart of America Grazing Conference and Pasture Ecology Workshop. Dr. Lehmkuhler shared a solar powered water well system. They also got to take part in a presentation where pastoralists discussed pros and cons of the different electric fencing wires, temporary posts, fence storage solutions, and chargers.

• Learn more about the Heart of American Grazing Conference
  https://www.research.uky.edu/news/heart-america-grazing-conference-2024-merges-science-and-practice
  (If you would like to see a similar conference in Maine, please send us an email at extension.farmcast@maine.edu)
• Learn more about Dr. Lehmkuhler
  https://afs.ca.uky.edu/person/jeffrey-lehmkuhler

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Eduardo Stern, Director of Tropical Seeds LLC, and Dr. Jaime Garzon, Assistant Extension Professor and Forage Educator, drop by to discuss some new research of cover crops. Tropical Seeds LLC is a Florida-based company that markets seeds for tropical forage crops, including sunn hemp, a fast-growing warm-season legume used as a forage or cover crop in many countries worldwide. In this episode, we discuss the advantages of using cover crops in agricultural systems, some suitable forage species, and the ongoing legume trials Dr. Garzon is conducting in Maine.

• Learn more about Tropical Seeds LLC
  https://www.tropseeds.com/varieties/
• Learn about sunn hemp performance and quality in Florida
  https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/agj2.20465
• UMaine Extension Fact Sheet: Cover Cropping for Success
  https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/1170e/

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).

Recorded in front of live studio audience. On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Colt and Glenda set up shop on the main stage of the the Maine Agricultural Trades Show in Augusta, Maine on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 to record a live show with Kevin Woltemath of Pineland Natural Meats to discuss his journey through agriculture, his work with beef producers in the Pine Tree State, his involvement with the Maine agricultural industry over the last 20 years and his thoughts on the future of agriculture in Maine. Kevin is an active member of the Maine Agricultural Community working with Ag Com, the Maine Beef Producers Association, Agricultural Fairs, the University of Maine and much more.

Correction - I mistakenly said Mr. Woltemath received the MBPA Hall of Fame Award but he was too polite to correct me during the podcast. He actually won the MBPA Service Award.

• Learn more about Pineland Natural Meats – https://pinelandnaturalmeats.com
• Check out the Maine Ag Trades Show - https://www.maine.gov/dacf/ard/events/agtradesshow/index.shtml
• Interested in the Maine Beef Producers Association? Visit them here - https://www.mainebeefproducersassociation.com

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Knight sits down with Madison Philbrick, Academic Advisor and Program Coordinator for Animal and Veterinary Sciences in the College of Earth, Health, and Life Sciences at the University of Maine. As a Maine native, Maddy grew up in a coastal community, and worked her way through college earning both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Animal and Veterinary Science. Before transferring to her current role, she served as the J. F. Witter Center Livestock Operations Manager. She is a hard worker and dedicated to helping Maine youth succeed in their academic careers and has a great story to tell. Enjoy the listen!

• Read Madison’s master's thesis: "Unbridled Insights: Exploring Equine Behavior Through GPS Tracking and . . ."

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Colt visited the National Swine Education and Outreach Conference in Kansas City, Missouri where he got the chance to sit down with fellow swine enthusiast, Casey Zangaro, Swine Extension Educator for Michigan State University.

Extension agents from Michigan, Maine, Iowa, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania worked together to acquire a grant from the National Pork Board to gather information about small scale swine producers and veterinarians from across the country. Through surveys and focus groups. Over the course of this podcast, we will highlight some of the most interesting concerns highlighted by producers and veterinarians.

The objectives of the National Pork Board’s Swine Education and Outreach Grant program are:

• Drive state and regional execution of national producer priorities, as identified in the annual industry planning process.
• Facilitate greater swine/pork education reach for under-served states and producers.
• Increase interaction with all segments of pork production and/or operation types.
• Enhance collaboration and coordination among industry, research, and Extension nationwide.
• Support Swine Outreach and Education Professionals as a critical part of a successful national system executed at the local level.
• Leverage expertise of Extension with Checkoff funding.
• Strengthen the partnership between the National Pork Board and Swine Education and Outreach Professionals.
• Advance and enhance the workforce pipeline for industry, research and Extension.
• Expand new and alternative platforms for education deployment.

To learn more about the grant, please visit:
https://porkcheckoff.org/about/leadership-opportunities/swine-education-outreach-professional/seop-grant/

To learn more about Casey Zangaro, please visit:
https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/casey-zangaro

Results of the grant will be published soon, and we will include a link when those are ready.

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Glenda and Colt are joined by Bella Russo, Director of Maine AgrAbility, and Brie Weisman, occupational therapist, to discuss Maine AgrAbility.

Addressing health, safety, and the prevention of injuries across the state of Maine— on the farm, on the water, and in the forest. The Maine AgrAbility project is dedicated to helping farmers, fishermen, and forest workers work safely and more productively. Maine AgrAbility is designed to assist owners, operators, managers, employees, and family members of farm, fishing or forestry businesses. We offer education for agricultural workers whose lifestyle and business have been impacted by a disability. We provide training and education to health care providers, agricultural professionals, emergency response agencies, and other community groups about agricultural workers with disabilities.

Maine AgrAbility programming is funded through a grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. We network with many existing resources and help provide connections for agricultural workers and their families. Maine AgrAbility addresses a wide variety of disabling conditions, including, but not limited to, arthritis, spinal cord injuries/paralysis, back impairments, amputations, brain injury, visual impairments, hearing impairments, disabling diseases, cerebral palsy, respiratory impairments, and head injury.

To learn more about Maine AgrAbility please check out the website:
https://extension.umaine.edu/agrability/

You can contact Maine AgrAbility at:
138 Pleasant Street, Suite #1
Farmington, Maine 04938-5828
Tel: 800.287.1478
Email: Maine.AgrAbility@maine.edu

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Extension Professor and State Dairy Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has a conversation with Dr. Sarah Allen about the ongoing Avian Flu (H5N1) situation in dairy. This episode was recorded on December 19, 2024 and this situation is ever evolving, so please find the latest updates on the USDA APHIS website.

Dr. Allen holds a doctorate from North Carolina State University, in which she focused on research in mycotoxin mitigation, milk quality, and milk fatty acids. After working as a dairy consultant for Purina Animal Nutrition in Western New York, she transitioned into her current role as Extension Dairy Specialist at the University of New Hampshire.

• Learn more about Dr. Sarah Allen:
  https://extension.unh.edu/person/sarah-allen
• Learn more about recent updates from USDA on H5N1:
  https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-livestock

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Extension Professor and State Dairy Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has a conversation with Dr. Rachel White about meningeal worms in small ruminants. Dr. Rachel White is an Assistant Extension Professor, Sustainable Agriculture and Livestock Educator Hancock and Washington Counties at UMaine Extension. White's extension program seeks to develop and conduct educational outreach and applied research with emphasis on small ruminants and equine.

• Learn more about Dr. Rachel White’s program:
  https://extension.umaine.edu/about/staff-directory/rachel-white/

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).